Stephan Yavorsky Square, that adjoins Theater Street, was renamed several times and got its present name in 1992. It was named after Stephan Yavorsky (1658—1722), a native of Lviv Area, who was the rector of Mohyla Scademy in Kiev.There are several houses around the square. They were build in the styles of Classicism and Neo-Renaissance, among them...

St.Andrew the First-Called Cathedral belongs to Greek Catholic Church of Ukraine and is one of the most impressive cathedrals of Lviv now.The cathedral façade is adorned with several sacral sculptures: you can see a medallion with an image of Holy Father and Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, in the upper part, and below, in a niche there is a...

Lviv Restaurants

This downtown restaurant has a very special 19th century atmosphere enhanced by the décor and furniture.The menu of this restaurant is in the form of an old manuscript. It offers lots of dishes.Khlib I Vyno means Bread and Wine.We ordered a glass of glint wine, a mug of Old Town beer and black hotdogs. The restaurant works hard at offering its own...

Mapa Coffeehouse at 4 Galician Street has three halls and a terrace outside (heated even in November by an electric heater plus you will get a blanket).The inside halls have a very special stucco design that also created a homey atmosphere. The coffeehouse is open at 8 a.m. already, which is a good point about it.We found it a good place to have...

”The First Genuine Steakhouse” isa three-hall restaurant whose full name is THE ГРИЛЬ- STEAK&WOK&ROLL (I still do not know what they mean by WOK). This is where we had “genuine steaks” (medium) and great beer listening to live music in the main hall. Although we had our seats in the basement hall since the very loud...

Lviv Nightlife

I enjoyed the evening views of downtown Lviv and took some pictures. I wished I spent more time strolling along the evening streets. Next time perhaps.I found this promotion clip about the night life in Lviv.
casual

The menu offers a variety of dishes, including a business lunch. We went there late at night and only had cocktails. I had Musiclab beer and a BMW cocktail.The nightclub holds a lot of different concerts – that’s when it is full of customers. We had a table downstairs and were greeted by the rock from the seventies – my style. The staff was...

This joint bills itself as an Irish pub. Thats a bit of a nonsense really as in reality all there is to place is a small room at the front, an even smaller room at the back, a bar and some tvs showing football. the connection the place has with Ireland is that it sells a couple of Irish beers and whiskeys or whatever. All the clientelle sit...

Lviv Transportation

Segway in Lviv, as a new kind of transportation, is becoming more and more popular.Enjoy Your Ride and enrich your impressions of downtown Lviv wiith the help of segway!You can hire a segway in Market Square for UAH 50 for a quarter of an hour's ride. Be careful and confident when riding it. Enjoy!

If you wish to experience a 19th-century city ride, why not hire a fiacre? It's UAH 1,200 for a one-hour trip. They offer a big loop and a small loop. It's up to you.I am sure it would be unforgettable, especially if the weather is fine.I myself did not take the fiacre alone (who does it I wonder?) and decided to do it some day in the future along...

There are a lot of bicycle lanes in Lviv. However, I did not see many cyclists during my stay there, just one or two, in spite of the fine November weather.The City Council has planned to build dozens of miles of bicycle lanes in Lviv by 2020: 228 miles all in all. At present there are 18 miles of bicycle lanes in L:viv. Lviv is already the leader...

Lviv Shopping

Galician Market is the oldest one in Lviv. It was built in 1894.The market includes a lot of agricultural stores (meat and fish) and kiosks as well as industrial goods (clothes, shoes) and food stores. The walking space is tiny indeed, so be careful and do not break the stalls.I enjoyed the flower market located at the entrance to Galician...

Southern Market is a huge shopping, service and entertainment center located in the southern part of Lviv not far from Lviv International Airport. Southern Market includes a dozen of big shopping malls: Ukraine, Volodymyr, Europe, Galicia, Central, Kalyna, Gallery, Maximum, Olympic, Novinka, Wedding House, Boodmarket, Megamarket of Light,...

The area around Ivan Fiodorov monument has become a huge flee market where books and antiques can be bought.The market is located to the right of the entrance to Assumption Church and in front of an old building that houses the state archives now.As history tells us, Ivan Fiodorov was invited by Assumption Fraternity to Lviv from Moscow. He settled...

Lviv Local Customs

Like in any other Ukrainian city, a car license plate with four similar digits is a status thing. It cannot be bought for any money, but is a sign of well-connected people/tough guys.However, Lviv is famous and unique in many ways.Picture 1: BB 1111 BE : a VIP car in a street in Lviv. No comments :-) Just my respects to the ubiquitous "chosen few"...

There are a lot of unique city festivals that no other Ukrainian or Russian city can boast of the following festivals:Bear Festival;Coffee Festival;Chocolate Festival;Cooks’ Festival;Waiters’ Festival;Musical Arts Festival;Ethno-Jazz Festival;Days of Lviv (a city festival observed on the second weekend of May with a lot of colorful events) and...

Unity Cossack is a brand new monument that appeared in Southern Market in Lviv. It was unveiled on Independence Day of 2014. The legendary Cossack fulfills the desire to the Unity of Ukraine. To make this desire true, you have to sit on his knees, touch his sword and think of the unity of Ukraine.They say that once upon a time an old Cossack, who...

Lviv Warnings and Dangers

Since the weather in Lviv is often rainy, it makes walking along the old sidewalk quite a difficult task.The sidewalks tend to be slippery and you do have to watch your step.Thank God nothing happened to me, but I can imagine how unpleasant it can be, if you are too careless to slip and fall down.

Maybe it could look just my small problem, but I would like to suggest you ;) When I came to Lviv the prices looked smaller than in my hometown Vilnius, let say, beer in bars was almost twice cheaper. Anyway, even if you are thinking it is cheaper, always look for prices, look in meniu, as it could cost you also more than you expected. It happened...

Ukrainian is the official language of 'the new Ukraine Republic', however, almost everywhere, Russian is the predominant 'yizik'...L'vov is THE exception - it is THE city where Ukrainian is not only spoken on the street, but where speaking Russian is actually frowned upon...Indeed, even the bus drivers have been banned from playing Russian pop...

Lviv Tourist Traps

Yes, indeed, the unreliable and changeable weather is the only tourist trap I can think of.I will not mention some high end restaurant that could have been a trap if I went there.I mean "Masons" restaurant on the second floor of "Kryivka" restaurant at 14 Market Square and some other upmaket places.Forewarned is forearmed.There are many more simple...

I really can't say I have been sucked but there is one warning I would like to address. As in my home country, in Ukraine the 1st of May is celebrated. So make sure, if you want to visit around that date book a lot in advance. And make really sure that your hotel has your booking. I have been tricked by Hotel Eney about my reservation and in the...

I haven't found anything in Lviv that I could call tourist trap. There are not many things you have to pay and what you pay is usually a good value for money. Although Lviv's center is listed under UNESCO world heritage list, tourism is still in infant phase. There are some tourists coming, mostly Poles and Slovaks (I have also seen Croatians,...

Lviv What to Pack

I must admit that I am a huge fan of the "In Your Pocket" guides and I was more than happy to hear that since 2009 they are now also available for Lviv. During our Lviv stay in June 2010 we picked up the latest copy at Hotel George.The guide not only provides helpful information about transport, accomodation and sights, but also many off the...

Like many other countries in Eastern Europe, the Ukraine is a rapidly developing country. Unfortunately, it is often difficult to find a Tourist Information Office or just a free map, therefore an up to date guide book for independent travellers is highly recommended.On our first trip in 2007 we used the Bradt Travel Guide - Ukraine which covers...

an umbrella is a must here.I always had it with me and did not regret afterwards: the rain was unpredictable and very strong indeed....
everything's available here, even if you leave something at home...
good walking shoes for your city exploration tours...
Have a good time, fellow travelers!Enjoy your stay in Lviv as much as I...

Lviv Off The Beaten Path

There is High Castle Park around the mound built over the remains of the foundation of the old castle.You can walk about a mile along the winding serpentine road to reach the observation platform located at the altitude of 413 meters above sea level.We walked past the TV tower.Be careful when you walk: the road is plastered with stones that tend to...

During our stay in Lviv my good friend Matt and I visited this city located in the suburbs of Lviv, just outside the city limits. Vynnyky is a city in Lviv region of Ukraine with a population of about 13,000. The city is subjected to Lychakiv District of Lviv. It was first mentioned in 1368.There are a lot of sights in Vynnyky, among them:-...

I was privileged to pay a visit to the south-eastern outskirts of Lviv – the area that I had seen from High Castle Mount. I took 4A bus from Liberty Avenue and was uptown in about half an hour.I was amazed by the amount of construction here in Sykhiv. This place makes you forget you are in Lviv and you start thinking what city you have found...

Lviv Sports & Outdoors

Sports in Lviv are very popular, especially Karpaty Soccer Club that plays in the Premier League. The team won the fifth place in the Ukrainian Premier League in 2009 and became the participant of the Europe Cup. Its colors are white and green. The team plays at the central stadium called “Ukraine”.The city has fifteen stadiums, three big gyms,...

As Ukraine together with Poland is going to host the Euro 2012 football championships, I was really keen on seeing Lviv's old Ukraina Stadium, which will be modernized and renovated in the next years.It is an-all seater multi-use stadium with a capacity of 28.051 people. It is home to the local team FC Karpaty Lviv, which plays in the 1st Ukrainian...

Lviv Favorites

A lot of things in Lviv are connected with the name of Taras Shevchenko (1914-1861), a genius of the Ukrainian people, an outstanding poet and a revolutionary democrat: Shevchenko monument in Liberty Avenue, Shevchenko Avenue, Shevchenko Society, etc.There is an unusual monument near the Arts Museum in Copernicus Street.The inscription reads,...

Lviv has a dramatic history indeed. It was built by the best European architects. The city residents spared no money and no efforts to make the city more beautiful and more comfortable for living. Many times over the centuries the city was threatened with complete destruction, but each time God’s Providence saved it. In spite of the two world wars...

The Ensemble of the Historic Centre of Lviv has belonged to World Heritage of UNESCO since December 5, 1998.UNESCO kindly provided There is a very detailed description of Lviv and its history on its page.I am proud of the Spiritual Capital of Ukraine. I do hope the city will protect and develop its traditions and culture.

I have visited Lviv three times. My first visit was at the beginning of June 2007 when we arrived by train from Kosice in Slovakia. It was my first time in the Ukraine and I really fell in love with...

Lviv is said to be the city of the East and the West. In fact, when visiting Lviv you may feel a mix of different cultures and religions.
Lviv is situated in Western Ukraine, about 70 kilometres from...